Bangkok low carbon photovoltaic curtain wall design

Are vacuum integrated photovoltaic curtain walls performance-driven?

The vacuum integrated photovoltaic (VPV) curtain wall has garnered widespread attention from scholars owing to its remarkable thermal insulation performance and power generation ability. However, there is a lack of in-depth, performance-driven optimal design that considers the mutually constraining functions of the VPV curtain wall.

Do VPV curtain walls block solar radiation?

In contrast, VPV curtain walls with high PV coverage may block large amounts of solar radiation entering the room, increasing energy consumption for lighting and heating. Thus, the single-objective optimal design of the VPV curtain walls is unable to balance its restrictive and even contradictory functions.

Do VPV curtain walls save energy?

According to the literature review, VPV curtain walls exhibit significant potential for energy savings owing to their excellent thermal insulation performance . Furthermore, the shading effect of PV cells can alleviate discomfort glare and enhance occupants’ visual comfort .

What is a VPV curtain wall?

The VPV curtain wall consists of a piece of CdTe-based PV laminate glass, an air cavity, and a sheet of vacuum glazing. The solar cells are etched into strips by lasers, and the transmittance of the VPV sample can be adjusted by changing the arrangement density of the strip solar cells.

Which VPV curtain wall has the highest DGP?

It is observed that the VPV curtain wall with 10%, 0%, and 50% PV coverages of daylight, view, and spandrel sections has the highest average DGPs of 40.1%. By increasing the daylight section's PV coverage to 50%, the average DGPs decrease by 11.5%, while increasing the spandrel section's PV coverage to 90%, the DGPs only reduces by 2.5%.

Does partitioned VPV curtain wall work?

The results indicated that the partitioned VPV curtain wall with 50%, 40%, and 90% PV coverages of daylight, view, and spandrel sections results in 82.8% useful daylight index, 62.7% hourly net-zero energy ratio, and 150.66 kWh surplus electricity.